Kate's Loss
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Future fic. Kate Beckett-Castle tries to deal with her husband's unexpected death. Beckett/Castle


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Castle and never will. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

Kate Beckett-Castle tried to hurry up and finish getting the food out before everyone arrived. Lanie, Martha, and Alexis were trying to help, but the widow wanted to do this alone. Oh God, she was a widow now. But there wasn't time to think about that. Kate had to get ready.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" questioned twenty-six year old Alexis as she walked into the kitchen with her fiancée, Matthew.

Kate nodded. "I'm doing this just fine on my own," she lied. These distractions were good for now. They kept her mind off of _it_.

Alexis really didn't believe her stepmother, but let it go to welcome their guests. She would talk to Kate later about her father's death. She couldn't believe her daddy was dead now. It was extremely surreal.

As the mourners mingled in the apartment, Kate tried to keep herself busy some more. She kept walking around, asking people if they wanted anything.

"Kate, you really need to sit down." Martha didn't want her daughter-in-law to overwork herself, especially now.

"I'm fine. Really." She was lying, but Martha didn't have to know that. Kate didn't want to think about the fact that her husband was dead. It'd lead to a total breakdown, and the detective wasn't ready for that yet.

Martha wasn't buying that. "Whatever you say." She walked out of the room to go talk to one of her friends before they went back to the funeral home.

"I think you should sit down, Detective Beckett-Castle," Matthew said to his future stepmother-in-law. Like everyone else, he was worried about her.

"How many times have I told you to call me Kate? And I'm fine, Matthew. I don't need to sit. I need to be on my feet and helping our guests." She was glad that Alexis had fallen in love with Matthew. He was sweet.

About twenty minutes later, Kate, Alexis, Martha, and Matthew are back at the funeral home to prepare for the next round of mourners.

"You need to sit down," Esposito told her about an hour later. Kate had been on her feet all day, and hadn't sat down once.

"I'm good standing." Kate wished that she could be left alone for just once today. Everyone was driving her up the wall, and she couldn't understand why they didn't leave her alone.

"Katherine Beckett-Castle, sit down right now," Lanie ordered. She had to be tough with her best friend, since Kate didn't understand much of anything right now.

Kate glared at her, but reluctantly sat down anyway. Her feet _were _killing her right now, and wait. Why had she used those words? Really bad idea. That meant she had to think of her dead husband even more, and that wasn't what she wanted at all.

After Rick was buried the next afternoon, his wife, daughter, mother, and future son-in-law were left alone for the first time in days.

"I'm going to miss him so much," Alexis murmured. She was emotionally drained and wasn't sure what to do next. She was glad to have Matthew to lean on, though. Her grandmother and stepmother were too busy grieving right now, and that was okay with her.

"At least we have our good memories." Martha was going to try to hold onto the good memories of her son. It felt like something she needed to do.

"I can't stop remembering the accident." That came from Kate. Martha, Alexis, and Matthew turned to look at her.

"Do you want to tell us about it?" Matthew figured that talking about it would help Detective Beckett-Castle to start the grieving process.

"The car came out of nowhere. We were discussing our great night out and what we were planning to do on the way home. The next thing I know, we're on the other side of the road. He was still alive."

Martha winced. She didn't want to hear this, but Kate seemed dazed right now and this was definitely something she needed to talk about. "Go on."

"I tried to stop the bleeding, but there was just so much blood. And I'm a detective, so I should know what to do, but I panicked and my mind went blank. I couldn't even dial 911, but that was okay, because someone else did. Rick died right after the ambulance got there. He told me he loved me and Alexis and Martha, and then he died. Just like that. The paramedics tried to revive him, but they couldn't. And I'm alone now and I don't know what to do. Somebody tell me what to do." Kate had survived her mother's murder, but she wasn't sure what to do next. Her husband was dead now. With that, she dissolved into sobs.

Martha and Alexis came over and hugged her. They refused to leave Kate's side as she sobbed. Eventually, the detective cried herself to sleep. However, she woke up at 4:00 in the morning, screaming. Kate had experienced a nightmare about the night her husband died. Hard to believe it was only three days ago.

"Kate, you need to calm down. This isn't good for you," Martha soothed as she tried to comfort her daughter-in-law. It was going to take Kate a long time to heal from this. Her husband had died right in front of her. Nobody could get over something like that very fast.

"I want him back," Kate sobbed. She missed Rick so much. What was she going to do without him and his stupid jokes? She loved him, and now he was gone forever.

"I know you do. So do I, but you can't get him back just yet. But I know you. We won't ever forget him. There's no forgetting Richard Castle." Martha rubbed Kate's back to try and calm her down.

The next morning, Kate called off work. She had been planning on going in, but changed her mind. There was no way she could concentrate on solving a homicide, especially so soon after her husband died. Luckily, Captain Montgomery understood and told her he would have sent her home anyway.

It was going to take a long time to get over Richard Castle's death, but at least Kate wasn't alone. She had Alexis, Martha, Matthew, Lanie, Esposito, and Ryan to help her through the grief.

Kate had to face life without Richard Castle now, and she wasn't sure what to do next. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Kate's support system would see her through this, though. There was nothing for her to worry about.

Kate sat down on the floor and cried for the future that she and Rick would never get to have. There was nothing else to do.


End file.
